Motor racing-F1 in talks with Marrakesh and Kyalami for African race

By Alan Baldwin
LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Formula One wants to go back to
Africa, with the Moroccan city of Marrakesh and South Africa's
Kyalami circuit keen to host a race, commercial managing
director Sean Bratches said on Thursday.
Rwanda and Nigeria have also expressed interest in fan
festivals on their territory.
"It's a marketplace in which we would like to race,"
Bratches said at a Sport Industry Breakfast Club event, two days
after Formula One announced the return of the Dutch Grand Prix
at Zandvoort in 2020 after a 35-year absence.
Morocco and South Africa have hosted world championship
grands prix in the past, Casablanca in 1958 and South Africa in
East London in the 1960s and Kyalami 20 times between 1967 and
1993.
"We race on five continents now and the last habitable
continent that we don't race in is Africa," said Bratches.
"We've been having very productive conversations in South
Africa and to a lesser extent in Morocco about bringing a grand
prix... we're on it. It's really important to us."
Bratches said there was a "high degree of interest" from
Morocco in a circuit race in Marrakesh, with the authorities
seeing Formula One, owned by U.S.-based Liberty Media, as an
economic engine for growth and tourism.
The all-electric Formula E series already holds an annual
street race there.
"The vast majority of our grands prix are underpinned by
government and it's because it works. We shine a bright light on
these cities," said Bratches.
Yath Gangakumaran, Formula One's director of Strategy and
Business Development, told reporters that Rwanda and Nigeria
were also keen to be involved in fan events.
"I think Rwanda in particular have seen the benefits of the
Arsenal sponsorship deal," he said. The Premier League club has
had a 'Visit Rwanda' logo on players' left shirt sleeves since
last year.
"There's a lot of interest not just for races but for
actuations throughout the continent."
Next season will see two new grands prix added to the
calendar, with Zandvoort and the debut of Vietnam, but Mexico,
Spain, Germany and Britain are out of contract at the end of
2019.
Mexico, Germany and Spain face particularly uncertain
futures.
"We are optimistic about the prospect of a 21 grand prix
schedule next year," said Bratches. "I don't think we are going
to have more than that."
Tne American said "productive conversations" were continuing
with the Mexican promoter, whose race is set to lose essential
government funding, and British GP hosts Silverstone, who say
they cannot afford the current terms.
A second U.S. race in Miami remains on the cards, despite
Formula One and local organisers giving up on plans for a race
downtown and focusing now on land next to the Miami Dolphins'
Hard Rock Stadium.
"In an ideal circumstance we would be racing downtown Miami
or downtown Las Vegas," said Bratches. "Those are the two cities
in the United States that best align with our brand and our
aspirations.
"We are going to try and create the best experience in each
market that (circumstances) will permit, not only from a racing
standpoint but a fan engagement and economic standpoint... it's
still viable."
The Miami race was originally scheduled for 2019 but pushed
back due to until at least 2020 after local opposition to the
proposed harbourside layout.